Assembly including a circuit and an encapsulation frame, and method of making the same

Abstract

An assembly for a circuit board includes a substrate, at least one circuit component formed on the substrate, and a frame. The frame comprises a first substantially planar surface attached to the substrate, and a hole formed through the frame and defined by a wall that surrounds the at least one circuit component. A method of manufacturing the circuit board includes the step of attaching the substantially planar surface of the frame to the substrate in an arrangement in which the at least one circuit component is surrounded by a wall that defines the hole.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention generally relates to embodiments for circuitry manufacturing processes, and more particularly relates to methods and devices for encapsulating or otherwise protecting and insulating circuitry. BACKGROUND [0002] During manufacture of a circuit board, electronic components and their interconnections are etched, imprinted, or otherwise attached to a substrate. The substrate and the electronic components are subsequently subjected to various processing steps. One particular processing step includes covering the circuit components and the underlying substrate with a sheet of silicone or other material that provides environmental and electrical protection. [0003] Transfer molding is one process by which a protective material is applied over a circuit component. Another common process includes encapsulating the circuitry with silicone or another suitable material. The protective material is applied to the substrate as a liquid and then cured or ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The patent describes an assembly for a circuit board that includes a substrate, at least one circuit component, and a frame. The frame has a first surface attached to the substrate and a hole that surrounds the integrated circuit. The method of manufacturing involves attaching the frame to the substrate with the circuitry surrounded by a wall that defines the hole. The apparatus includes a frame with a first surface and a wall that surrounds the circuit component when combined with the substrate. The technical effect is that this assembly provides a way to protect the circuit components from damage during manufacturing and assembly, and also allows for better cooling and improved performance of the circuit board.

Problems solved by technology

Although silicone and other suitable materials provide environmental, electrical, and mechanical protection to the encapsulated circuitry, there are some inherent difficulties and inefficiencies with commonly practiced encapsulation methods.

For example, it can be difficult to supply a protective material that has sufficient fluidity to cover and infiltrate the circuitry, and at the same time has sufficient viscosity to set in the area immediately above and around the circuitry without spreading about the surrounding substrate.

Although providing a wall around the circuit components is a beneficial step, there are some difficulties during and following the encapsulating process.

For example, the assembly can be prone to leak around the punched post holes and at the interface between the substrate and the wall.

The wall is also a cast molded structure, and cast molding individual walls can be a relatively expensive process.

The wall can also impede some cost-efficient ways to apply the encapsulating material, such as a printing technique and the use of a squeegee.

Further, subsequent substrate processing can be impeded by the wall's presence, particularly if the substrate is flexible.

The wall, or even a slightly warped substrate, can make it somewhat difficult to match some of the intricate electrical contacts between the additional electronic assemblies and the exposed circuit components.

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